Looking at the brains behind figurative language-A quantitative meta-analysis of neuroimaging studies on metaphor, idiom, and irony processing

► We report a consistent fronto-temporal network for figurative language processing. ► No general RH advantage for metaphor processing could be found. ► Idiom and metaphor processing shared activations in left frontotemporal regions. ► Irony/sarcasm processing activated regions associated with theory of mind.